Drunken Tomato-Basil Rigatoni

What if a new year isn’t about new beginnings? In my life as a Navy wife, my kids’ as Navy brats, and my husband as a Naval officer, new beginnings rarely come in the form of a New year. Rather, new beginnings and major changes are directly related to a new move, a new job, new friends, new house in this ever fluctuating lifestyle.

This year, welcoming a new year welcomes the end. The last time we will ring in the New Year in Spain and our last year over seas. But life isn’t just measured in beginnings and endings; starting lines and finished races. Life is what happens in-between markers–what we make of our day-to-day.

My husband has taught me many things, but the most important being to always live in the moment, be the best you can be, and love all that is important with all that you have. And that is the way we spend most in-between-in the moments, being the best we can, with all that we have.

With that mantra, rather than lamenting a new beginning, celebrating an ending, we have resolved to continue to live each moment to its fullest. Loving even the hard parts. Drinking it all in as a pound of rigatoni does rich sauce making life soul satisfying.

A few months ago, my husband and I were talking to a couple who didn’t have children. We mentioned that we almost never make it to midnight anymore on New Years Eve. Incredulously they wondered why not, why not make the effort on what is supposed to be the most magical night of the year. Simple. The most magical night of the year actually isn’t at the stroke of midnight, it’s a few hours later in the morning. At five a.m., when our children wake up, creep into our room and gently nudge us, bringing us back to the realist reality. Breakfast.

So cheers. Cheers to drinking up all that life has to offer, at the end of a journey, at the beginning of a new year, and always at five am.

About The Author

Alyssa Rachel is a mom and a wife is not an actual chef. She is like other moms who need to get dinner on the table every night, lunches bags every day, and breakfast served every morning. However, She is a mom with a serious love for food and photography. In the 2011, She started bringging her time through the dishes that came out of her kitchen. Early in 2013, her family moved from Bahrain to South Spain, where the culinary experiences, both foreign and familiar will shape this journey. Follow along and enjoy her experiences through kitchen with our group. More about her: AlyssaRachel.net